Second flyover proposed

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, October 7, 2002

At a recent public meeting at The Woodlands High School-McCullough Campus, road officials said the roadway would create an unimpeded path over the I-45 feeder road to the interstate, similar to the "fly over" that presently links I-45 northbound to Woodlands Parkway.

By HEATH HIXSON

The road project is expected to help alleviate traffic congestion during peak commuting time, officials said.

However, two residents who attended the meeting are concerned about increased road noise affecting their quality of life.

"This thing improves the flow of traffic," said John Holzworth, the transportation manager for Carter and Burgess, the company designing the road. "There will be no conflict between the traffic that currently goes into the (feeder) and from Woodlands Parkway."

The new road is expected to start at the point right after the exit sign and wall currently on the south side of Woodlands Parkway near the interstate leaving The Woodlands. The road is designed to curve south past a statue that sits on a hill, be elevated over the feeder road and then lay on the existing feeder road entrance into southbound I-45.

The road is not designed to be as elevated as the current "fly over," said Jeff Anderson, Carter and Burgess senior administrator.

A new interstate entrance from the I-45 southbound feeder road is also scheduled to be built across from the vacant Builder's Square building in Spring, nearly a mile south of the current entrance, under the plan.

The elevated road project is planned to extend one-half mile, have one 14-foot-wide lane, require 1.93 acres of land that would be contributed by The Woodlands Operating Company and is expected to cost $2.5 million.

Precinct 3 County Commissioner Ed Chance said the county would contribute $2 million, and the remaining $500,000 would come from Texas Department of Transportation road funds. The county's share comes from a road bond approved by voters in November 2001.

Officials said they expect design and environmental plans would be approved by state and federal road authorities by April and they should begin construction in June. The construction is scheduled to last a year.

"This project is going to more efficiently handle that traffic," Anderson said.

Other officials said the feeder road would remain open during construction.

Anderson said some trees would be removed for the new road, but the environmental impact would be minimal.

Lance Olenius, a TxDOT environmental coordinator, said there is no huge impact on the environment from the proposed project.

But, while officials minimized any impact, two residents at the meeting, which had about a dozen people attending including several road officials, said they were concerned about the possible increase in road noise.

"What I don't understand is why there hasn't been any consideration for us," said Brianne Foshea, a resident of the village of Grogan's Mill in The Woodlands, who lives near where the new road would be constructed. "There is going to so much more noise. I just kind of feel like you haven't considered us as residents."

Foshea and a neighbor were upset their neighborhood was not contacted about the road project. They want the planting of additional trees to be added to the proposed road project to minimize possible road noise.

Anderson said a three-foot cement wall would be built on the road to help minimize noise.